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MEMOEIALS 



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1776 



BY 



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SliOOND EDITION. 




PHILADELPHIA: 

W. \V. Bates, Printer, 710 Sansom Street. 

1873. 

IV* • Vw. Vw. 



10 



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Tl^e }[ktior\kl }iu^eurq. 



INDEPENDENCE CHAMBER. 



WRITTEN ORIGINALLY FOR THE PENN MONTHLY. 



IT has been well said of individuals, that there exists no stronger 
incentive to merit than the recollection of a long line of distin- 
guished ancestry, revived, it may be, by a gallery of family portraits, 
or the preservation of family relics. The Chinese are believed always 
to devote a room to the perpetuation of all kinds of ancestral associ- 
ations, while the English, thanks to their feudal system, still consoli- 
date and transmit their family mementos and heirlooms. 

There always have been those who scoff at that species of pride 
derived from fair lineage; but such raillery, in the main, is but an 
effort to decry a too conscious deficiency, or used as a cloak to " ape 
humility" — a cloak that no more conceals the true sentiments than 
did the assumption of his rags by the great cynic, whose real pride 
was plainly seen to peep through the very rents in his garments. As 
with individual families, so it i* with nations. 

We shall be told that the "genius of our institutions" is adverse 
to fostering the former ; but surely no such objection can be raised 
against the latter. The most austere Hoi-polhiisl will concede that 
the greater the pride in the past history of our country, the surer the 
guarantee of patriotism in the future. To this end no means more 
effective can be devised than the establishment of a permanent 
National Museum. Such a practical mode of object instruction will 
continue to teach to all coming generations of Americans the lesson 
learned in 1776, and about to be rehearsed in 1876 — that in national 
unity lies our strength, of which State "pride and local impulses are 



legitimate constituent elements. There can be no segregation into a 
civic of that which essentially forms a federal bond— the community 
of the past. 

Assuredly, that past should not be permitted to bury its dead, 
or only be revivified by spasmodic celebrations of anniversaries of 
one hundred years. Let it rather be made an ever-present reality by 
the closest personal and historical associations. Let it be an ever- 
living witness, in whose voice the accents of departed patriotism may 
continually utter, "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori." 

The man that is not moved by what he reads, 
That takes not fire at their heroic deeds — 
Unworthy of the blessings of the free — 
Is base in kind and born a slave to be. 

Unquestionably, the greatest national memorial in the history of 
the United States is Independence Hall — the birth chamber of the 
Republic. Let us briefly glance at the events of the nativity. 

Delegates from each colony (appointed, in some cases, by the 
existing legislative bodies, in others by committees of safety) had 
first met together in Carpenter's Hall for a defined purpose — to devise 
measures for uniform action in approaching their recognized sovereign 
by petition, and in order to obtain redress of grievances. Failing in 
these efforts, they returned to Philadelphia in the spring of 1775, with 
the anticipation of a prolonged session, when the hall used by " the 
representatives of the freemen of the Province of Pennsylvania" (hence 
the " State House,") was assigned to them for their sittings. Thus it 
was that in that very Hall, in June, 1775, on motion of Thomas 
Johnson, of Maryland, George Washington was unanimously elected 
commander-in-chief of the armies raised and to be raised for the de- 
fense of America. 

But above all, it was here, in the Eastern, and now known as 
Independence, Chamber that, on the 7th of June, 1776, John 
Hancock occupying the President's chair, the memorable act was ini- 
tiated that sanctifies the whole building. We see Richard Henry Lee, 
of Virginia, rise in his place. He holds in his hand instructions from 
the convention assembled at Williamsburg, which had been brought 
to him but a few days before by Thomas Nelson, Jr., himself then 
present as a member. Mr, Lee reads a resolution, still extant, in his 
own hand-writing 1 ; 



6 

Around that room are sitting men who for weeks and months 
have been toiling to bring their countrymen up to this point. John 
Adams, Samuel Adams, Gerry, Bartlett, Chase, McKean and ^Vhipple 
and Wythe, — and Ilewes, who was bearing the whole weight of his 
colony — most probably a full representation of those in favor of the 
resolution ; while Dickinson, too, was there, the conscientious man and 
pure patriot, who, like his colleagues, Robert Morris, Wilson, Willing 
and Humphreys, restrained by their instructions, also believed that the 
adoption of the resolution at that time would produce divided action 
throughout the country, and were hence opposed to it. A meagre house 
induces a postponement until the next day, and after a reference to the 
committee of the whole, the 1st of July is fixed as the day for further 
consideration, but "least any time should be lost incase the Congress 
agree to this resolution" a committe is appointed to prepare a declara- 
tion in consonance therewith. It is not the place here to enter into a 
detailed review of the occurrences of this period — the full history of 
which has bien promised, and shall, in due time, appear. Suffice it 
for our present purposes to recall the fact, that on the 1st of July, Benj. 
Harrison, the chairman, reported Mr. Lee's resolution, and had then 
and there referred to his committee that declaration which Jefferson, 
Adams, Franklin, Sherman and Robert R. Livingston had unanimously 
agreed upon. On the 2d day of July, the resolution adopted, the United 
States became a nation. Its Sponsors were not yet quite satisfied with 
the baptismal address, which was to announce the event to the world, 
but finally, on the 4th of July, after anxious debate thereon, paragraph 
by paragraph, that, too, received the approval of all present, and was 
ordered to be engrossed — though the latter was not accomplished until 
some weeks afterwards. Thus there are two distinct groups of eminent 
men who have associated their names indelibly with the Declaration 
of Independence — first the "Actors," who debated it, and second the 
"Signers," who ratified it. 

The councils of Philadelphia honored themselves in April 1872, 
by passing an ordinance for the restoration of the building where these 
events occurred, and for setting it apart forever in commemoration of 
Independence. 

Prompted by the right spirit, the City Fathers had already sought, 
in 1854, to purchase the whole of the Peale collection of paintings, then 
offered at public auction. Failing in this, they bought a great number 



■of the historical portraits, (among which there were a dozen of the 
Signers, ) and from lime to time have coutinued to add to the collection. 

Occasionally a public spirited citizen would present to the city a 
portrait, a bible, a casting, or a relic — real or imaginary — and it was 
.at once stored in this room. The latter became a general receptacle 
for framed resolutions of councils, the abortive contribution to the 
Washington monument* — in fact, it served as a living, ever-ready 
response to the often embarrassing question in councils — "what sJtall 
we do with it?''f It was feared by some that the vehicle, yclept 
Washington's coach, might even find its way into this chamber, for 
here already his horse had been placed, prancing over the door, in such 
form and manner as might have justified the interference of the Society 
for the prevention of cruelty to animals, whose agent — had he ever seen 
it — not recognizing the rider, would have unquestionably exclaimed, 
.as is his wont, "come down my gay Peruvian, come down." 

Here, also, we had Brandt, the savage above all others literally 
•damned to eternal — infamy; Ked Jacket, too, forsooth — a lot of men 
of whom the catalogue could say, "of liberal education and excellent 
moral character; 1 ' the vilest daub and caricature of General Jackson; 
the likeness of an obscure political agitator doing duty for Charles Lee, 
of Revolutionary notoriety; lithographs of volunteer refreshment 
saloons, etc.. etc. 

The first point to be attained was the removal of all portraits, 
relics, and other deposits not associated with the historical memories 
of the Hall. These, in many instances, absolutely defaced the walls, 
.and in others destroyed the architectural beauties of the chamber. 

The janitor having carefully stowed away all the relics and a 
great deal of trash, the portraits not required for illustration and 
adornment were removed to the Fidelity Safe Deposit and Trust 
Company, whose President had cordially offered to take charge of 



"*Sinee forwarded to Washington City and at a juncture, when it is hoped its 
receipt will give renewed impetus to the completion of the undertaking. 

fThe very cellar was not long since used for impounding and slaughtering vagrant 
dogs captured in the summer season. Hon. Win. M. Meredith, ever facile to turn to 
account what to others would he an interruption, had his voice drowned, on one 
occasion, in the midst of a ceremonial reception, by these yelping, whereupon he 
declared the Hall haunted by spirits of 177G, and identified the voices of Jefferson, 
Lee, Hancock, etc. 



them. They have been admirably displayed for public inspection on 
the walls of the directors' room. 

The room with its antique wainscoting, pillars, cornices, etc., 
presents to-day the same general appearance as it did during those 
times that did indeed try men's souls. The original chandelier still 
hangs there; the columns supporting the ceiling have been restored, 
the chair which was occupied by the President has been restored to 
its place on the dais; in front stands the table at which Hancock 
wrote, and on which the Declaration itself reposed after it was engrossed, 
and where one after another of the members of Congress came forward 
and appended his signature. Near by are two chairs with their 
original covering, well worn in the use of individual members of the 

CD o' 

Congress. Two more of these chairs, though unfortunately newl} r cov- 
ered for the convenience of the sergeants-at-arms of the State Senate, 
have been rescued and placed on the floor. Mrs. Wm. Biddle, Mrs. 
E. A. Foggo, Mr. John Jay Smith and Mr. C. C. Dunn have each pre- 
sented an original chair duly authenticated by long family ownership. 
On either side of the dais are ranged portraits of the following : 

JOHN HANCOCK, the President, C. W. Pealk- 

RICHARD HENRY LEE. of Virginia, the Mover of the Resolution 

for Independence, C. W Peale. 

BENJAMIN HARRISON, of Va., the Chairman of the Committee of 

the Whole who reported the same. Lambdin after Trumbull. 

THOMAS JEFFERSON, the Author of the Declaration of 

Independence, . C. W. Peale. 

JOHN ADAMS, the Seconder of the Resolution for Independence, and 

the "Colossus of the Debate!" C. W. Peale. 

SAMUEL ADAMS, of Massachusetts, the " Palinurus of the 

Republic." Outrank after Copley. 

Presented by Geo. A. Simmons, Esq., of Boston, on behalf of his wife and 
other descendants of the Patriot: 
ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON, of New York, of the Committee to 

draft the Declaration. Pijatt after Stuart. 

Presented by Clermont, Robt. E. Livingston and others, the grand children: 
ROGER SHERMAN, of Connecticut, another of the Committee &c., 

[Not yet supplied.] 
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, copied from the celebrated picture by Martin. 

ROBERT MORRIS, the Financier of the Revolution. 

JOHN DICKINSON, Author of "the Farmer's Letters." C. W. Peale. 
THOMAS HEYWARD. Jr., of South Carolina, Frazbr after 

Presented by Mrs. Di: avion. 
ELBRIDGE GERRY, of Massachusetts. 



9 



THOMAS McKEAN, of Pennsylvania. C. W. Peale. 

WM. WHITE,— Bishop,— principal Chaplain of the Continental 

Congress, C. W. Peale. 

CHARLES THOMSON, the permanent Secretary of Congress, C. W. Peale. 

JOSIAH BARTLETT, of New Hampshire, presented by his descendants. 

ON THE OPPOSITE PANELS ARE TO BE FOUND: 



.TAMES WILSON, of Pennsylvania, 
WILLIAM ELLERY, of Rhode Island, 
ABRAHAM CLARK, of New Jersey, 
WILLIAM WILLIAMS, of Connecticut, 
SAMUEL CHASE, of Maryland, 
GEORGE READ, of Delaware, 
GEORGE ROSS, of Pennsylvania, 
RICHARD STOCKTON, of New Jersey, 
GEORGE WALTON, of Georgia, 
OLIVER WOLCOTT, of Connecticut, 
JOHN WITHERSPOON, of New Jersey, 
CHARLES CARROLL, ofcarrollton, of Maryl; 
FRANCIS HOPKINSON, of New Jersey, 
SAMUEL HUNTINGTON, of Connecticut, 
PHILIP LIVINGSTON, of New York, 
BENJAMIN RUSH, of Pennsylvania, 
ARTHUR MIDDLETON, of South Carolina, 

Presented by the Artist. 
GEORGE CLYMER, of Pennsylvania, 

Presented by his descendants. 
WILLIAM HOOPER, of North Carolina, 
STEPHEN HOPKINS, 



Wharton from a miniature. 
Lambdin after Trumbull. 
Lambdin after Trumbull. 
Sawyer after Trumbull. 
C. W. Peale. 
Sully after Stuart. 
Wharton after West. 

Conarroe after 

Lambdin after Trumbull. 



c. 


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Peale. 


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w. 


Peale. 


c. 


w. 


Peale. 


c. 


w. 


Peale. 


c. 


w. 


Peale. 


c. 


w. 


Peale. 



Wharton, after West. 
Marchant, after 



Lambdin, after Trumbull. 
Geo. C. Lambdin, after 



THE FOLLOWING ARE YET TO BE PROCURED : 

Wm. Whipple, of New Hampshire; Robert Treat Paine, of Mass.; Wm. Floyd, 
Francis Lewis and Lewis Morris, of New York ; Wm. Paca and Thomas Stone, of 
Maryland ; George Wythe, Thomas Nelson, Jr., and Francis Lightfoot Lee, of 
Virginia ; Joseph Hewes and John Penn, of North Carolina ; Thomas Lynch, Jr., 
of South Carolina ; Lyman Hall, of Georgia. 

Spaces are also left for John Rogers, Thos. Johnson, John Jay, Henry Wisner. 
George Clinton, Thomas Willing, Charles Humphreys and a few others, "Actors." 

The names of John Morton, Ca;sar Rodney, Carter Braxton, John Hart, George 
Taylor, James Smith, Matthew Thornton and such others of the above, whose por- 
traits were never taken from life, will be appropriately presented in some perma- 
nent shape. 

Over the doorway through which Washington passed when he 
left Congress to assume those duties which earned for him his endur- 
ing title of "First in War, First in Peace, and First in the hearts ot 



10 

his Countrymen," has been hung an original portrait of the Pater 
Patriae.'*' 

Along the surbase on each side of the President's Chair, subordinated 
to the general design, are the Presidents of Congress from 1774, not 
included in the above category, and in similar positions on the sides, 
portraits of the Revolutionary officers. These are arranged according 
to dates of commission, as follow : 

ARTEMAS WARD, Major-General, June 17, 1775. 

RICHARD MONTGOMERY. Major-General, December 9, 1775. 

HORATIO GATES, Major-General, May 16, 1776. 

NATHANAEL GREENE, Major-General, August 9, 1776. 

WILLIAM ALEXANDER, LORD STIRLING, Major-General, Feb'y 19, 1777. 

BENJAMIN LINCOLN, Major-General, February 19, 1777. 

BARON DE KALB, Major-General, September 15 ; 1777. 

BARON DE STEUBEN, Major-General, May 5, 1778. 

WILLIAM SMALLWOOD, Major-General, September 15, 1780. 

L. LeBEQUE DUPORTAIL, Major-General, November 16, 1781. 

HENRY KNOX, Major-General, March 24, 1782. 

CHRISTOPHER GADSDEN, Brigadier-General, September 16, 1776. 

LACHLAN McINTOSH, Brigadier-General, September 16, 1776. 

JAMES MITCHELL VARNUM, Brigadier-General, February 21, 1777. 

JOSEPH REED, Brigadier-General, May 12, 1777. 

JAMES WILKINSON, Brigadier-General, November 6, 1777. 

DANIEL MORGAN, Brigadier-General, October 13, 1780. 

OTHO HOLLAND WILLIAMS, Brigadier-General, May 9, 1782. 

JOSEPH WARREN, Provincial Major-General. 
THOMAS SUMTER, Provincial Brigadier-General. 

WILLIAM AUGUSTINE WASHINGTON, Colonel, the "Hero of Eutaw." 
JOHN EAGER HOWARD, Lieutenant-Colonel, the 'Hero of Cowpens " 
SAMUEL SMITH, Colonel, the " Hero of Mud Island " 
HENRY LEE, Colonel, " Light Horse Harry. " 

COMTE DE ROCHAMBEAU. 

NICHOLAS BIDDLE, Captain of United States Navy. 
JOHN PAUL JONES, Captain of United States Navy. 
JOSHUA BARNEY, Captain of United States Navy. 



*The noble idea, so nobly carried out, the preservation intact of Washington's 
Home on the Potomac, is due to the women of America under the auspices of Miss 
Ann P. Cunningham of South Carolina as Regent, assisted by a Vice Regent in each 
State — in Pennsylvania by (the then) Miss Lily Macalester. The latter has recently 
and deservedly been made Regent. 



11 

And the following Presidents of the Congress of the Confederation : 

PEYTON RANDOLPH, 1774-5. 

HENRY LAURENS, 1777. 

JOHN HANSON, 1781. 

ELIAS BOUDINOT, 1782. 

THOMAS MIFFLIN, 1783. > ,, . _ , _ , 

ARTHUR ST. CLAIR, 1787. j Major-Generals February 19, 1777. 

The draft of the Declaration in Jefferson's handwriting is in this 
•city, in the possession of the Philosophical Society, most admirably 
framed and adapted for exhibition. It is hoped the society will be 
induced to deposit this valuable relic upon the table in the Hall. 
In the vestibule, upon its original frame- work, has been placed the 
■celebrated bell, which on the 8th of July, 1776, fulfilled the injunction 
prophetically inscribed thereon a quarter of a century before : 

" Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the 
inhabitants thereof."* 

It seemed that no opportunity could be more favorable towards 
perfecting this great memorial of the men and times of 1776 than the 
approach of the centennial anniversary — no worthier coadjutor than 
John L. Shoemaker. True to the public-spirited instinct of his name- 
sake, who in 1765 affixed his signature to what we Philadelphians are 
fond of calling the "first Declaration of Independence," Mr. Shoemaker 
was sedulously laboring for the success of the centennial celebration; 
recognizing at once the propriety of the suggestion, he grasped the 
scheme, and has been unremitting in sustaining every effort to its 
accomplishment. 

His Honor, Mayor Stokley, as well as Mr. J. H. Pugh, the efficient 
popular commissioner of city property, have cordially co-operated ; 
while the presiding officers of both branches of councils, Messrs. 
King, Shermer, and Martin, Hall, Caven and other members of councils, 
have evinced much interest in the work, and contributed towards its 
success. Several noble- hearted citizens have already presented valuable 
portraits, and others have been promised. Every means will be used 
to make the very atmosphere of this chamber breathe forth the com- 
mand so appropriately applied by a distinguished physician of Phila- 

*See appendix. 



12 

delphia, on there greeting his professional friends : " Put off thy shoes 
from off' thy feet ; for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.' r 

Arrangements are being made to accommodate the Court of Com- 
mon Pleas, its present chamber will then be fitted up as an auxiliary to 
the Hall of Independence. In itself it is an historical room, used as the 
colonial Supreme Court Room for nearly half a century before Pennsyl- 
vania became a State. The second story of this building contained the 
public banqueting hall of former days ; and in one of the rooms met the 
Convention of 1787 to frame the present Constitution of the United States, 
Subsequently Peale's Museum occupied this floor. The whole build- 
ing would form an admirable receptacle for the National Museum thus 
commenced. Here the different epochs of our national history can be 
appropriately illustrated by portraits and relics. A plan for this pur- 
pose has already been initiated by the Committee in charge of the 
Restoration of the Hall, which can easily be matured and accomplished ; 
and the centennial anniversary might then indeed behold the actual 
realization of the picture so gloriously and prophetically foreshadowed 
by the Founders of the Republic themselves, in their address to the 
Irish, in 1775 : " The golden period, when liberty, with all the gentle 
arts of peace and humanity, shall establish her mild dominion in this 
western world, and'erect eternal monuments to the memory of those 
virtuous patriots and martyrs who shall have fought and bled and 
suffered in her cause." 

Fellow-citizens of the United States, let us make the one hun- 
dredth birthday of the nation its Golden Anniversary ! 

Frank M. Etting. 



THE OLD LIBERTY BELL. 

BY FRANK M. ETTING. 
From the American Historical Record for January, 1873. 




OLD LIBERTY BELL. 



So great is the power of association, that 
its magnetic rays may render famous, when 
brought to bear upon it, any object be it 
never so trivial in itself. Even our great 
Town Bell is thus polarised by the Revo- 
lutionary events with which it is intimately 
connected. 

In one of the most beautiful of his 
experiments, Prof. Tyndall exhibited the 
refraction of light through water by puffing 
a few whiffs from a segar into the adjacent 
atmosphere — an exemplification of his 



ability ex Jitmo dare lucent. It seems 
possible to avail ourselves of the murky 
medium of the past (even that of a Bell) 
to evolve reflections worthy of analysis 
by deeper thinkers than Antiquaries or 
even Patriots. 

In 1 75 1 , the State House at Philadelphia 
was approaching completion; the lower 
floor had already been occupied for some 
sixteen years, one chamber by the Su- 
preme Court, and the other by the 
Representatives of the Freemen of the 



AMERICAN HISTORICAL RECORD. 



Province of Pennsylvania, then consisting 
of one body — By order of the latter, a 
Committee of which Mr. Speaker Norris 
was the Chairman, was empowered to 
obtain a new Bell for the Building. 

The desire for procuring bells and 
building steeples just at this time seems to 
have shown itself in religious, as well as 
political corporations. In this same year 
the vestry men of Christ church opened a 
subscription for this purpose, a member 
declaring at the Board " that there is a 
hearty inclination to the thing in the in- 
habitants of this city not only of our own 
church but in sundry persons of other 
religious Societies." 1 

It must not hastily be concluded how- 
ever that Bells were then to be introduced 
for the first time. As early as 171 2, two 
bells "the little bell" and "the great 
bell," were certainly used by the Christ 
Church congregation, whether suspended 
in a belfry or "hung in the crotch of 
a tree close by "seems to be undetermined ; 
unquestionably the latter mode was adopt- 
ed for the government bell, an accompa- 
niment to official proclamations in the 
province at least as early as 1685. It is 
not improbable that this latter was brought 
over by William Penn himself. The ear- 
liest mention of its use is in language so 
quaint as to justify its "counterfeit" pre- 
sentation. [See the following page.] 

and which reads as follows. 

Pennsilvania 

By the President and Council 

These are to give General Notice, That our Present Sovereign 
King James the Second, will be Published, in the Front 
Street upon Delaware River, over against the Governours 
Gate to Morrow Morning at the Ninth hour upon the 
Wringing of the Bell. 

Philadelphia the Signed by Order 

nth, sd Month 1685 Richard Ingelo CI. Concillii 

Pursuant to this order the follow- 
ing proclamation was read, here given 
verbatim from the original manuscript 
used by the Sheriff. — - 

Pennsilvania 

Philadelphia the 12 th of the 3 rd Mo 1685. 

We the president & the provincial 
Counsell accompanied with the represen- 



1 Rev. Dr. Dorr's, History of Christ Church. 



tatives of the freemen in Assembly & 
divers magistrates officers & other persons 
of note do in duty & in concurrance with 
our neighbouring provinces sollemnly pub- 
lish & declare that James Duke of York 
& Albany by the decease of our late sov- 
eraigne Charles the 2 d is now become our 
lawfull liege lord & king James the 2 d of 
England Scotland France & Ireland & 
amongst other of his dominions in America 
of this Province of Pennsilvania & its 
Territorys king, to whom we acknowledge 
faithfull & constant obedience hartilv 
wishing him a happy raigne in health 
peace & prosperity — 

And so God Save the King 

Tho Lloyd President 

Tho Holme Jon Roades 

Christo Taylor W. Greene 

Phinehas Pemberton Jon Simpcock 
Willm Frampton Jon Cann 
W m Southbe Willm Wood 

Peter Aldricks Tho Janney 

W m Darvall Jon Barnes 

Luke Watson Ric d Ingelo 

Clark Counsell 

This Province Bell was most likely 
transferred to the cupola of the Court 
House or " Towne Hall" on its erection 
in 1705-6 at Second on High Street. It 
is its successor whose history is attempted. 

The original letter books of Isaac 
Norris cannot now be found but fortu- 
nately his descendant Joseph Parker Norris, 
had procured copies, and it appears from 
these that Robert Charles, then in London, 
was commissioned November 1st, 1 75 1 , 
to procure a good bell of about two thou- 
sand pounds weight, at a cost of about 
jQioo sterling ; it was to be cast by the 
best workmen, to be examined carefully 
before it was shipped and to contain "in 
well-shaped letters round it," By order 
of the Assembly of the Province of Penn- 
sylvania, for the State House in the city 
of Philadelphia 1752, and underneath 
Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land to 
all the inhabitants thereof . Levt. xxv. 10. 

The Bell duly arrived at the end of 
August, 1752, in apparent good order, 



AMERICAN HISTORICAL RECORD. 




AMERICAN HISTORICAL RECORD. 



but a few days afterwards, notwithstanding 
all the cautionary instructions given, "the 
Superintendents had the mortification to 
hear that it was cracked by a stroke of the 
clapper without any other violence as it 
was hung up to try the sound. ' ' An effort 
was then made to send it back by Capt. 
Budden, 1 who had brought it over in the 
"Matilda," but he could not take it on 
board — " upon which" Mr. Norris writes 
' • two ingenious workmen undertook to cast 
it here, and I am just now (March 10, 1753, ) 
informed they have this day opened the 
mould and have got a good bell, which I 
confess pleases me very much that we 
should first venture upon and succeed in 
the greatest bell cast, for aught I know, in 
English America." 

This American bell was' hung up in its 
place early in 1753, as will appear by 
the following bill: 

Philadelphia, April 17, 1753. 
The Province, 

To Edmund Wooley, Dr. 
For sundrys advanced for raising the Bell 
Frame and putting up the Bell. 
A peck Potatoes, 2s. 9d : 14 lbs. Beef at 
— 4s. 8d ; 4 Gammons, 36 lb. at 6d. — 
18s. -.- ^165 

Mustard, Pepper, Salt, Butter, 020 
A Cheese, 13 lb. at 6d. — 6s. 6d; 
Beef 30 lb. at 4d. — 10s ; a peck 
Potatoes, 2s. 7d. - - o 19 1 
300 Limes, 14s. 3 gallons Rum, of 

John Jones, 14s, - - 180 
36 Loaves of Bread, of Lacey, ye 

Baker, - - - -090 
Cooking and Wood, 8s. Earthen- 
ware and Candles, of Duchee, 
13s. 4d. - - - o n 4 

A barrel of Beer, of Anthony 

Morris, - - - . - o 18 o 

Errors excepted, Ed. Wooley. 
"The mould was finished in a very 
masterly manner and the letters I am told 

1 This same mariner also brought over gratu- 
itously, the bells for Christ church, which in con- 
icquence were always made upon his arrival to 
chime forth their greetings and thanks. 



are better than in the old one. When 
we broke up the metal our judges here 
generally agreed it was too high and 
brittle, and cast several little bells out of 
it, to try the sound and strength. We 
fixed upon a mixture of an ounce and one 
half of copper to one pound of the old bell 
and in this proportion we now have it." 

It was soon found however that the com- 
position of this bell was defective, /<?<?much 
copper having been added; "so many witti- 
cisms were made thereon by the towns people- 
that Pass, (a native of the Isle of Malta) 
and a son of Charles Stow who were the 
persons who originally undertook to re- 
cast the Bell, and who had made the 
mould in a masterly manner and run 
the metal well," insisted upon making 
another essay, and in June, 1753, then- 
second Bell was placed in position in the 
State House steeple. This event was 
duly chronicled in the papers of the day. 1 

There seems to have existed a contrariety 
of opinion as to the acceptability of this 
second attempt, but as far as can be ascer- 
tained the Bell continued to be used 
without any further effort to amend its 
sound. Thus it was that on Monday the 
8th day of July, 1776, {not on 4th) 2 at 



1 The following is from the Maryland Gazette 
of Thursday, July 5, 1753. 

Philadelphia, June 7th 1753. Last week was 
raised and fixed in the State House steeple, the new 
great Bell, cast here by Pass and Stow, weighing 
2080 lbs. with this motto, " Proclaim Liberty 
throughout all the land, unto all the inhabitants 
thereof— Lev. xxv. 10. 

Extract from the " Centenary Memorial." 

2 " Congress did not authorise the official promul 
gation of Independence till the next day, (5th) — 
It sat usually with closed doors, its members pledged 
to secrecy — so important a step as a severance of 
the ties which connected the Colonies with the 
mother country could not have been agitated and 
acted upon without admitting the general public 
into a knowledge of the fact, apart from which 
it was wished and indeed designed, as has already 
been shown, to predicate the action of the federal 
Congress, upon the expressed wishes of the indi- 
vidual Colonies. In the correspondence of the day 
accordingly on this subject, we do not find the usual 
reticence; delegates did not hesitate in their 
familiar letters both to prognosticate the event in 
June, but also immediately after the action c4 
July 2nd — the really important day, — to announce 



AMERICAN HISTORICAL RECORD. 



13 



12 o'clock at noon, this very Bell rang out 
to the citizens of Philadelphia, the glad 
tidings, that a new nation had a few days 
before sprung into existence, proclaiming, 
in language understood by every ear, all 

MEN ARE BORN FREE AND EQUAL. 

This fulfilment of that portion of the 
text inscribed upon its surface has been 
celebrated in prose and in verse. Whether 
the result of a "coincidence" only or- 
whether an inspiration induced Mr. Speaker 



the fact as the most memorable epoch in the history 
of America, a day to be celebrated throughout all 
time. Still it was not till the 5th that it was " Re- 
solved that copies of the Declaration be sent to the 
several Assemblies, Conventions and Councils of 
Safety and to the several commanding officers of 
the Continental troops, that it be proclaimed in each 
of the United States and at the head of the army." 

These " copies" were printed broadsides signed 
by John Hancock, as President, and attested by 
Charles Thomson, as Secretary. 

In Philadelphia, pursuant to this resolution duly 
laid before the Committee of Safety of Pennsylvania 
on Saturday 6th July, it was ordered by that body 
— besides communicating with other counties of the 
State. — 

" That the Sheriff of Phila. read or cause to be 
read and proclaimed at the State House, in the city 
of Philadelphia, on Monday the 8th day of July, 
instant at 12 o'clock at noon of this same day, the 
Declaration of the Representatives of the United 
States of America, and that he canse all his officers 
and the constables of the said city to attend the 
reading thereof. 

Resolved that every member of this Committee 
in or near the citybeordered to meet at the commit- 
tee chamber before 12 o'clock Monday, to proceed to 
the State House, where the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence is to be proclaimed." 

The Committee of Inspection of the city, and 
Liberties were requested to attend. 

We have ample evidence that this programme 
was literally carried out. That the Declaration was 
read and proclaimed from the stage, the popular 
rostrum of the day, which had been erected in the 
State House yard by the Philosophical Society near 
its Hall, to observe the transit of Venus. That it was 
lead by John Nixon, a relative of Robt. Morris, 
and a prominent member of the Committee of Safety, 
that a vast concourse of people greeted it by loud 
cheers. That the constituted authorities were 
present, including a number of the Delegates to 
Congress, and " the bells rang all day and almost 
all night even the chimes (Christ church) chimed 
away." 

The royal insignia of authority were at the same 
time removed from the Court Room in the State 
House and duly burnt. 



Norris, thus to baptise his State House Bel! 
would seem a mere choice of words deter- 
minable by one's stand point, but certain it 
is that the Divine command to which 
reference is thus made is about now to be 
obeyed to the letter. 

And ye shall hallow the fiftieth 
year and proclaim liberty throughout 
all the land unto all the inhabitant 
thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto 

YOU. — Lev. XXV. IO. 

Such in full are the words of Holy Writ, 
such the Handwriting on the Wall. 

We consult the oldest inhabitant, we 
scan the records of the day in vain for 
any especial notice of the first fiftieth birth 
day of the Nation, but the second its 
golden anniversary is about to be a 
"Jubilee" unto us and unto all men. 

Honor be to that man who made the 
first move whether he be familiar with the 
scriptural injunction, or the unconscious 
instrument in the hands of His Maker. 

For full fifty years as nearly as can be 
ascertained, our Liberty Bell continued to 
celebrate every national anniversary, and 
then — it cracked, it had performed ils 
mission and was mute forever. 

Its vicissitudes had however been many ; 
when the American forces in 1777, were 
about to leave Philadephia, the Bell (and 
those of Christ church, its coadjutors in an- 
nouncing Independence, shared its for- 
tunes) was taken down by the Commissary 
and transported to Allentown to prevent 
its falling into the hands of the British, 
who were then about to occupy the city. 

Though brought back to town after the 
evacuation it does not seem to have been 
restored to its original place in the old 
steeple. The latter made of wood had 
been for some time in a state of decay, 
and being at last considered by the 
Assembly in a dangerous condition was 
ordered in April, 1781, to be taken down. 

"The heavy Fraim whereon the Bell used 
to hang," was lowered into the brick tower 
where it still remains. The tower was 
plainly though sufficiently and effectually 
covered for the preservation of the build- 
ing and surmounted by a slender spire or 
point. 



14 



AMERICAN HISTORICAL RECORD. 



Immediately in front of the spire on 
the main roof, the Bell itself was sus- 
pended with a slight covering or shed bnilt 
over it as is seen in Birch's familiar views 
of the State House. The Bill for this 
work is also extant and may interest the 
curious : 

1 ' Mr. Thomas Nevell, ' ' 
for the State House. 1 7 8 1 , 

To John Coburn, Dr. 
July 16 — To sundry hands getting 
down the Old Steeple, and 
getting up the new one, get- 
ting up the Bell, and fixing 
of it, - - - ^12 00 00 

4 To the two falls and blocks 
and Crab getting the Old 
Steeple down and the new 
up, and the Bell, - 8 00 00 



^20 00 00 

Note — This is the Rigger's bill against 
Nevell the Carpenter." 

The 4th July, 1828, was celebrated by 
the completion of a new steeple, made to 
resemble the original as nearly as cir- 
cumstances would admit; these circum- 
stances were the placing therein a clock 
with four faces made by Lukens, and a 
new bell without a clapper, upon which 
the clock was to strike the hours by means 
of a hammer — another hammer to be 
worked by machinery for fire alarm? 

I may add that the present bell which 



was cast by J. Wilbank, of Philadelphia, 
was completed and placed in position on 
nth September, 1828. It is stated that 
"the dimensions of this bell were scienti- 
fically calculated previously to being cast, 
and so accurately that the weight was in 
excess only 75 lbs. its total weight being 
4275 lbs. and cost $1,923 75." 

This vaunt however is not sustained by 
the estimate submitted in advance to 
Councils, as its weight was to be 4,000 lbs. 
still as the increased, over the intended, 
weight of the original bell was but eighty 
pounds, it would not appear that our more 
modern bell founder could plume himself 
on any progression in "scientific calcu- 
lation" in the intervening seventy-five 
years. 

The old Bell hereupon transferred to the 
tower was long permitted to remain in 
dignified retirement, and after a futile 
effort to restore its sound 1 by enlarging the 
causes of its dissonance, it was stored in 
Independence Chamber elevated upon a 
carved pedestal, its tongue uprooted and 
surmounted by a stuffed eagle 

It is now about to be placed in the 
vestibule of the Hall properly installed 
upon its original framework, and full in 
view of the spot it has contributed to 
consecrate. 

Thus embalmed may it always be per- 
mitted to remain a living witness to the 
fulfilment of its own prophecy, as well as 
a perpetual monument to its own deeds. 



CHASE & TOWN, 142 SOUTH FOURTH ST. 

PHILADELPHIA. 



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